Many young Catholics have received the Sacrament of Confirmation in recent months; others may have received Confirmation at the Easter Vigil. This great strengthening of baptismal graces helps us to be "doers of the Word, and not hearers only."
The newspaper for the Diocese of Charleston, The Catholic Miscellany, recently commissioned the following video on the importance and power of the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Diocese of Charleston encompasses the entire state of South Carolina, and the Catholic population is a mere 3.7% of the state, but there are good things happening here, some great priests and many good, committed lay people. Most of the state is served by several Catholic radio stations that provide superb programming from EWTN and Ave Maria Radio, and the state has a Catholic school that regularly ranks among the top 50 high schools in the United States. It is striking to see how much more vibrant the parishes are compared to states in which Catholics are a majority or close to it.
Perhaps a "sign of the times" is that the reevangelization of the world is coming from unlikely backwaters where the Church has been marginalized or persecuted, from the former communist countries, from Africa, and perhaps even those parts of our own country that are often considered mission territory.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of thy love.
Send forth thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
